Concerns just a click away in Delray

New system makes it easier for residents to write City Hall

Delray Beach — Filing a complaint at City Hall got easier Monday, with an Internet connection.

The city launched its QAlert Citizen Request Service Center, an online system that allows residents to submit questions, complaints and requests with just a mouse click.

The system automatically categorizes a complaint, question or request and forwards it to the appropriate department. Though residents can still call City Hall, the chances of a Post-it note getting lost on its way to a specific department should be minimized by the new system.

"It's another instrument, a more efficient instrument to service our residents and to have two-way communication with the population," said city spokesman Ivan Ladizinsky.

The new software replaces a similar system that officials found antiquated and didn't provide enough features to track complaints.

"We looked at probably 10 and we did three demos, and this one received the most support," said Assistant City Manager Robert Barcinski. "It was the most transparent and easiest to use."

Increasingly, municipalities statewide are turning to similar software to speed up response time to residents' requests and keep track of the services they provide. Most programs provide a searchable database that officials can use to track trends and response times.

In Wellington, the e-Better Place system has been tracking resident complaints for four years.

"It creates accountability to the department and to the people involved," said John Bunde, community liaison officer with Wellington. "If someone takes a phone call, how does the supervisor know? It all depends on that person's memory or how good they are getting back to that person who called."

Bunde said there are other systems on the market with more intricate features that allow officials to look at what's going on in a city through gauges similar to those in a race car.

West Palm Beach utilizes similar technology to streamline the way government does business.

In Boynton Beach, officials launched a new city Web site last week that later this year will include a new version of the existing Citizen Action System, city webmaster Alan Karjalainen said.

The new BoyntonQA will have a knowledge base that will grow with each question a resident asks.

"It's more of a do-it-yourself system online. The intent is to let citizens get information for themselves," Karjalainen said. "The system attempts to answer the question right there and then."

If an answer is not part of BoyntonQA's knowledge base, the question will be routed to a staff member who will address the issue with the citizen.

Delray Beach's system also will be able to build a Frequently Asked Questions feature that will grow as residents submit inquiries.

"The Internet and the municipal Web site are becoming more important in the relationship between residents and City Hall," Ladizinsky said.

"We continue to look for ways and means the city can be more responsive."

Staff Writer Erika Pesantes contributed to this report.

Maria Herrera can be reached at meherrera@sun-sentinel.com or 561-243-6544.